The Overland Track Day 6 - January 6, 2009

Today we are truly on the downhill run, except there's still one range to cross. Thankfully the track crosses the lowest point of the Du Cane range and not over Castle Crag as shown in the photo. Today would be a beautiful walk through a lot of temperate rainforest and then into drier eucalypt forest.

Du Cane Range

After a short 45 minute walk we came across Du Cane hut. This is one of two original huts still standing (the other being the original Pelion Hut). For this reason it's heritage listed and not appropriate to sleep in although it does have some beautiful campsites around it.  

Du Cane hut was originally known as Windsor Castle and is home to the legendary "Possum Pete". This is an infamous possum of indeterminate, yet extremely old age. He has been considered responsible for opening any and every make of pack, tent, sleeping back, container and sundry other items. He can remove food from the most difficult and well hidden places and has never been able to be caught. Thankfully we didn't see him and our food resources stayed intact.

Du Cane Hut

 We walked past several significant waterfalls today, however considering the climb down to them we didn't head too far off track. We had some restful stops in the mossy, temperate rainforest before starting the climb to the 1070m high Du Cane Gap.

Trackside stop

 Once we reached the top of the Gap we noticed the environment start to dry out and the fauna start to change. After the steady climb to the top we then had a steeper climb down the other side of the range to reach our final nights accommodation, Bert Nichols Hut.

Resting at Du Cane Gap

 There was one last highlight for todays walk before we would reach the hut.  Once we reached the forest floor on the other side of the Gap we spotted the "Bottom Tree". It didn;t get it's name because it's at the bottom of the descent. If you look carefully at the photo you'll work out for yourself why it got it's name.

Yep, it's the "Bottom Tree" (look closely)

 Bert Nichols Hut is a very controversial hut. It was built about six months before we did the walk, and cost over $1,000,000 to build. Much of the cost was due to the fact that the materials all had to be airlifted in. the controversy arose because many trees were cut down to clear the space (you can see the firewood under the hut in the photo) and despite all this expense and tree clearing, it only sleeps as many people as some of the smaller, original huts on the track. Hopefully this isn't the direction that the rest of the huts go when they need replacing.

Looking back at Bert Nichols Hut

We had one final night with the friends we'd made on the track then settled in for a very early night as we needed to be out at the ferry pickup by 11:00 am tomorrow and we really wanted to be able to enjoy the last days walk. The early night meant we could be in the track by 6:00 am giving us 5 hours to reach Narcissus Hut and the ferry.

The Overland Track Day 5 - January5, 2009

We made a scraggy looking group

 Today would be the day we cross Pelion Gap which sees a distinct change in the fauna. We would move from an alpine environment to a more temperate region. There's a real contrast as we cross the Gap. The saddest moment is realising it's the last time we'll see Cradle Mountain. This thought brought on a well deserved rest as it's quite a climb up from the plains to Pelion Gap.

Some ran out of energy at the top

 Once we arrived we took some photos while others settled down for a quick nap. Pelion Gap is overlooked by Pelion East on one side and Mt Ossa on the other. We weren't in a position to be climbing either one but enjoyed talking to others who were setting off for the 2-3 hour round trip up Mt Ossa. We found out later that many who climbed today got caught on top in a bit of a rain squall so we were thankful we didn't attempt the climb. All it did was whet our appetite for the return trip.

Some didn't

 The boys' sure enjoyed this part of the day as from here to Kia Ora hut is all down hill. It amazed a lot of other walkers to see the amount of energy they had after the climb up.

In fact some had energy to burn!

The boys at the top of Pelion Gap

 It was great to show the boys some of the original sections of boardwalk that still sit on Pelion Gap. Comparing the new track with the old track makes you feel like you're walking on dual carriage way...but not for long.

The original boardwalk

 The descent from Pelion Gap to Kia Ora Hut is a beautiful descent, not too steep, but incredibly scenic as you look toward Cathedral Mountain and the Du Cane range. Castle Crag on the right of the valley is certainly the most imposing peak in this section so it was quite a relief to realise we would skirt around this peak and not have to climb it.

Descending off Pelion Gap

Ghost tree

Looking toward Cathedral Mountain

As we descended into the valley we left the boardwalk behind and got back onto traditional stone and dirt tracks. While these tracks make for slower going sometimes, as you have to negotiate more obstacles, they definitely make for more interesting walking.

We did notice an interesting phenomenon today. Throughout the walk we had often passed, and been passed, by several of the private guiding companies escorting the "well heeled" walkers along the track. These groups were most obvious because of the small, lightly-laden, day packs they carried. They stayed in private huts, built to a much more luxurious standard, and rarely mixed with the general riff-raff. Today we noticed the guides from these groups would often talk to us, particularly the two boys, as they passed. This is quite possibly a recognition of the hard work, and sustained effort, that is required to be self-supporting during a week long walk.

Kia Ora Hut

We arrived at Kia Ora Hut just as the weather closed in and a light, misty rain started to fall. We settled in, got some hot food into us, then had a lovely night catching with everyones' stories from the days adventures. Tonight was the first time my professional skills were really put to use as a german couple arrived with the bloke complaining of a sore shoulder that he thought he had dislocated earlier. It was back in place so there was nothing to be done for him now but I could give him some advice to follow up on when he finished, and some signs to watch out for in the mean time.